Sincere apologies for lack of blogging; usual reasons - time, busy etc. So much good stuff I see/read/clock and wish I had the time to slam them all up on the web for you and/or as reference.

Anyway, quick one from this Sunday morning's toilet reading (!), "The Observer Music Monthly". Always a great read, particularly the new 'Screen Grabs' column which trawls YouTube for mad music clips (re-printed at end of this blog).

(ON MEETING THE BEATLES):'So in the canteen afterwards Brian Epstein came up to me and said: "Well, Jim, what did you think of my boys?" I said: "World class." He said: "That's a bit strong." I said: "Brian, watch my lips." He speaks as if addressing the village simpleton. '"World. Class. And watch this space."'

(ON HIS VINYL COLLECTION/DJ-ING):
"Savile has never had much interest in vinyl. This despite the fact that in 1942, in the top room of a building in Belle Vue Road, Leeds, he ensured he would always be synonymous with records when he DJ'd at a 'record dance', the world's first discotheque, with two turntables and an amplifier designed by the late Dalmour.

'Twelve people came,' he says. 'The equipment lasted for an hour and a half and I borrowed eight records from a friend.' Savile, it transpires, borrowed most of his DJ sets. 'You're in Yorkshire now,' he shouts. 'You. Don't. Buy. Things. In. Yorkshire.'"

(ON THE ROLLING STONES & ELVIS PRESLEY):He'll happily tell you about his rapport with the Stones ('If they had a problem they'd say, "Get Jim in"'), about travelling to the States to give Elvis a gold disc (Colonel Tom Parker said: "You're late." I said: "It's 8,000 miles from my place to here and the traffic was a bit tasty on the road outside your gaff"').

Couple of repeat visits to Raco De Vila, simply for that sizzling steak 'n salt, cooked on a hot grill bang on the table in front of you. DJ-ing in Razz's main room was rockin' as ever and after a minute's pause for the cause before the club shut at 6AM, I played Maximo Park's original "Our Velocity", swiftly followed by that diabolically dirty Blamma Blamma remix, "Terminal Velocity" check Javi (pictured middle/above Razz logo) having it beyond large to the tune in question!

Chilled Sunday at the Mediteranneo Spa before dinner with a bizarre dessert of yum (!) 'Strawberries & Scum'. Then, late night and after a warm up by La Terremoto DJs who played some killer euro-spanish gay-house (James G & I never found out what they were but very Studio 54 vibe) & camp classics like this version of Annie's "Tomorrow", it was time for another "Dancing Queen" event and a live performance by Sam Fox. Yes, people tend to immediately think of her Page-3 assets but what really stayed firm for the next 45 minutes was not my trouser-snake (!) but seeing her performance maintain Sam's status as a gay icon. Hands in the air for the classics, slow lighter waving for some new ballad material and pandemonium for the climax, "Touch Me".

Sam showed herself a true trooper backstage, with that Carry-On saucy sense of humour and loads of mad stories including the tabloid lies. I was impressed by how switched on Sam was even after I couldn't help being a bit of a geek reminding her about a ground-breaking remix she had done late 80s for "Love House" by Kevin Saunderson as he was hitting big time with Inner City. Sam name-checked the "Black Pyramid Mix" and for a moment was turning more anorak than me, going on about working with Full Force, her record company"Jive" pushing her to rap etc. etc.